Just last Saturday on my way to swim, I struck up a conversation with a lovely woman who turned out to be Peggy Freydberg’s granddaughter Emily. It is wonderful to know how much seeing their grandmother’s poetry go out into the larger world means for them, as everyone adjusts to their first summer without the woman who drew them all here. If you’ve missed all the wonderful readings, including the one at last weekend’s amazing Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival, to celebrate “Poems From the Pond: Writings of Peggy Freydberg,” be sure to get a copy of this must-have book for any women in your life at either Island bookshop — all sales benefit a scholarship for Island writers.
I met Keona Chung, fiancé of firefighter Matthew Bradshaw, who joined the Chilmark Fire Department because her future father-in-law, Jeremy Bradshaw, has been a department member for 19 of his 25 years on the Island. Keona is learning the family business at Martha’s Vineyard Tile Co., working with the entire Bradshaw clan. Though you may have missed members of the Chilmark Fire Department collecting donations in fire boots at Beetlebung Corner on Saturday morning or the Annual Chilmark Firefighters Community BBQ & Music Festival on Wednesday, you can still send donations c/o Fire Chief David Norton, P.O. Box 119, Chilmark, MA 02535. And please call 508-645-2550 if you are interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter; they are always looking for new members.
Congratulations to Chilmark summer resident Carol Brown Goldberg, whose paintings and sculpture are included in A Gallery exhibit opening on Saturday, August 8, from 5 to 7 pm, at 8 Uncas Avenue in Oak Bluffs. See carolbrowngoldberg.com for more information.
Islanders Write returns! Catch it on Monday at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury; the first panel begins at 8 am and the last one at 4 pm. The day features workshops, panel discussions about writing, author signings, and much more. It’s free and open to the public, and features an outstanding cast of Vineyard year-round and seasonal residents and visitors. For more information, visit IslandersWrite.com.
If you missed the August 2 exhibition reception for “Gretchen Feldman’s Watercolors (1934-2008),” be sure to stop by the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center at 79 Beach Road in Vineyard Haven and see her peaceful work through August 16. Gretchen started painting as a result of her visits in the 1970s. Her work is represented by Louisa Gould Gallery, and you can learn more at gretchenfeldman.com. Be sure to check when the lobby is open.
It’s not too late to register for the Chilmark Road Race 5K on Saturday, August 8, at 10:30 am. Preregistration required at coolrunning.com.
“Pride, Not Prejudice,” an evening dance party and festival celebrating the Island’s LGBTQ community and friends, will be hosted by the Yard Saturday, August 8. Flatbread Co. will sell wood-fired made-to-order pizza at this family-friendly event from 5 to 10 pm. Admission is a suggested donation of $15. For more information about this event, and all Yard classes and performances, check dancetheyard.org.
If you’re up early and want to play softball, head over to Flanders Field around 7:30 am on Sundays to join the weekly games. All ages welcome.
Cultural anthropologist Rick Shweder speaks about “The Equality-Difference Paradox: Is Cultural Diversity Compatible with Economic Equality?” at the Chilmark library on Wednesday, August 12, at 5 pm. Shweder, the William Claude Reavis Distinguished Service Professor of Human Development at the University of Chicago, has an extensive résumé in the field of cultural anthropology, and will offer to broaden the national conversation about economic inequality by asking how best to strike a balance of values in a real world where economic equality and genuine cultural diversity may not go hand in hand.
Mark your calendars for the Friends of Middle Road annual meeting on Friday, August 14, from 5 to 6:30 pm at Waterwheel Farm, 55 Middle Road (1 mile from Music Street). The Friends have been active since the mid-1990s in helping preserve the tranquil quality of Middle Road. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Susan Kluver at 508-645-9543.
